How to diagnose the need for room treatment?

If you have a significant-other's-acceptance issue. There are very attractive alternatives to the pro-sound booth type traps/treatments. Some of which actually allow you to submit your own artwork/photographs for display, while still effectively controlling your room's acoustics: (http://www.asc-hifi.com/panel-trap.htm) (http://www.purewaveaudio.com/c=bdYyIFF0rsQhnkyyRIpP7ioV5/product/AUR-SPS23/Auralex_24x36x1_SonicPrint_Panel_Uses_Movie_Art_Image_from_Auralex.html) Of course- How far you pursue excellence in your listening room depends solely on how serious you are about your music.

Another option if you have a PC is Room EQ Wizard (for PC and free - a vry cheap solution) or Fuzzmeasure Pro 3 (for Mac $150) - you'll need a measurement microphone and a pre-amp like a Dual Art USB pre and off you go - measure to your hearts content.

I can't tell from your comments exactly how much actual speaker/sitting positioning work you have already done, or how you did it, so it is really hard to comment on what you should do next.

BUT, IMHO, you really can't get your sound to 'improve' until you can describe specifically what it is that you expect to improve by making any changes or use of 'room treatments'.

FWIW, it strikes me from your comment 'it sounds good to me' that you really haven't a focus on exactly what to expect, just that you think by adding something it might get better, when actually it not only might not, it might sound worse.

Based on that assumption, I would suggest that you save your money for a while and try to improve the sounds in your room (assuming you are not restricted by WAF) simply by carefully tweeking placement/toe/listening chair positiong until your set up produces tonal smoothness from bass thru highs (you can use a SPL meter and a disc with test tones) and clarity of tone, a set up which produces this clarity in the context of a soundstage which is wide and deep (and if possible, but it is more equipment dependent, high).

Room treatments are good when you have identified specific problems in identified frequencies and select the treatments that are designed to do it. There is no 'one size fits all' solutions, and some things are unobtainable at any realistic price or visual acceptance to many.

FWIW, I've been able to set up a modest sized room with fairly flat/smooth frequency response +/- about 3db except for a 5db boost at 32hz (not tameable) and a 40/50 hz 5db suckout (room dimension created and not tameable either) without using any acoustic materiels other than normal domestic furnishings. It only took a couple of years to do it all. Lots of small changes and patient listening to speaker/listening seat tweaking. :-)

If you want some down and dirty recommendations, I would suggest that you post your rooms dimensions, identify present locations of speakers and listening chair, along with a description of and location of room openings (windows and doors), and stuff placed on/near walls.

Also a description of your equipment, especially your speakers, and if possible what you would like to improve, sonically.

Fundmentally I agree with Sbank - I would only like to reinforce the fact that speaker/room set up, assuming you have already done some of the preliminary work, and if you have high expectations, is not a short term project with quick fixes. It is a slow methodical process with a lot of small changes and patient listening.

Hope that helps a bit.........

Although I don't have the room optimization experience that most of the others have had, I'd like to offer one small but I think significant point.

Particularly once you get above bass frequencies, tuning the room for flat frequency response using a test cd, microphone, etc., is not necessarily going to get you the best sound, and in fact probably won't. The microphone is not going to discriminate very well, if at all, between early arrival sound (the direct path from the speakers to the listening position) and later arriving sound (reflected off of walls, ceiling, etc). But your ears will!

I believe that some of the more sophisticated (and expensive) equipment that does this sort of thing can help to take arrival time into account, in a meaningful manner, but a Radio Shack sound level meter used with test tones from a cd will not. Although I think you will get meaningful results that way in the deep bass region, because of the long period and wavelength of the tones, and the consequent lack of timing sensitivity and directionality of our hearing at low frequencies.

Regards,
-- Al

Recommended reading for setting up your system for better sound: "Get Better Sound" by Jim Smith. Smith is a professional sound consultant whose setups have won several "best of the show" awards. His book walks the reader through a systematic method of getter better sound from your system including room treatments, if needed. The book has received several raves on boards and ezines. I found it very helpful.